The Good News – A Journey of a Lifetime Volume 2 No. 25

by Marcus Amos

Welcome to this week’s column Volume 2, No. 25 of The Good News – A Journey of a Lifetime. This week’s lesson is something that we should think about each day in our lives. We should be giving the best that we have to Jesus. This is something that should be at the the forefront of our minds, to always give the best to Him.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Scripture: John 12:1-8

12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]”

6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

8 You will always have the poor among you,[c] but you will not always have me.”

* * * * *

In the Bible, Jesus was invited to His friend Lazarus’ home for a party in His honor! After they ate, His friend, Mary, took out a big bottle of perfume and poured it on His feet.

It was surprising, but not only because it was expensive, but also because Mary wiped the perfume on Jesus’ feet with her hair.

Judas, the disciple who would betray Jesus, was angry that she did that. He said she could have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor.

What do you think about Judas’ reaction?

Judas was right, it could’ve been sold and the money given to the poor, but Judas had been stealing the disciples’ money; so maybe it would’ve gone into Judas’ pocket. Regardless, Jesus said it was good, because Mary gave her best to Him. It was honoring and Jesus said it made Him ready for His burial after His crucifixion that He knew was coming.

In verse 3, Mary anoints the feet of Jesus.

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus: In the midst of the supper, Mary gave a remarkable gift to Jesus. It wasn’t unusual to wash the feet of a guest, but it was unusual to do it during the meal itself, to use very costly oil of spikenard to do it, and to wipe the feet with her hair, using the hair as a kind of towel.

Mary’s gift was remarkably extreme. She used a lot (a pound) of a very costly oil of spikenard. Spices and ointments were often used as an investment because they were small, portable, and could be easily sold. Judas believed this oil was worth 300 denarii (John 12:5), which was worth a year’s wages for a workingman.

Mary’s gift was remarkably unselfconscious. Not only did she give the gift of the expensive oil, she also wiped His feet with her hair. This means that she let down her hair in public, something a Jewish woman would rarely do.

If Mary’s best was to give her expensive bottle of perfume to clean Jesus’ feet, I wonder what our best could be.

In verses 7 and 8, Jesus defends Mary and explains what she did.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

Let her alone: If we are extreme in our love for Jesus, He will not criticize us; that was what Judas did. It is much better to be like Mary (extreme in our love for Jesus) than to be like Judas (criticizing others who show such great love for Jesus).

She has done this for the day of My burial: In the same way that it would be rude to loudly object to funeral expenses at the service for the deceased, so it was inappropriate for Judas or anyone else to put a price on Mary’s love and devotion to Jesus while He was still alive.

Prayer: Dear God, help us understand what it means to give our best to You, and give us excitement to do it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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